Clive Hetherington recalls May 5th 1973, the unforgettable day he joined Roker fans at Wembley.

IT was dubbed "the impossible dream''. And for a certain nine-year-old and thousands of other fans who had watched Sunderland largely struggle for three seasons in the old Second Division, the impossible dream became a glorious reality.

I was privileged to be among the crowd at Wembley almost 30 years ago when the messianic Bob Stokoe led Sunderland to one of the most improbable victories in the history of football.

Don Revie's Leeds were reviled throughout the game for the cynicism that tainted their talents.

Nevertheless, they were an outfit at the peak of their powers.

All but one of the team that faced Sunderland - Trevor Cherry - was at the time a full international; the defender would later be capped by England courtesy of Revie himself.

Sunderland, on the other hand, were a side who had been flirting with relegation under Alan Brown before his sacking in mid-season.

Stokoe took over and brought back the club's traditional black shorts - and the good times.

In stark contrast to Leeds' star-studded line-up, Sunderland were a team of under-achievers and misfits.

Stokoe added Newcastle reject Ron Guthrie at left-back and striker Vic Halom from Luton.

Somehow, against all the odds, hefound a winning formula that even confounded Leeds.

The teeming rain which had all but washed away the words 'Sunderland, 1973 FA Cup final' on my rosette, turned the Wembley turf greasy and made for a great leveller.

From the start, Leeds were rattled; who could forget Sunderland centre-back Ritchie Pitt clattering into Allan Clarke inside the first minute?

Even the normally masterly Johnny Giles was fazed as the ubiquitous Ian Porterfield controlled the midfield.

It was Porterfield, of course, who etched his name in Wearside folklore with the only goal of the game - and with his right foot, too!

Captain Bobby Kerr, Stokoe's "Little General'', led by example. Mickey Horswill, only 20, marked opposing skipper Billy Bremner out of the match, and the dashing Billy Hughes ran the Leeds defence ragged.

But every member of that Sunderland side was a hero - and none more so than goalkeeper Jim Montgomery.

That day, as every Sunderland fan will tell you, Monty performed the save of the century.

Leeds believed him to be suspect from long distance and that legendary hot-shot Peter Lorimer would test the theory.

But they reckoned without Montgomery's speed of thought and agility - from close range.

Having saved Cherry's flying header, he reacted immediately with remarkable reflexes to turn Lorimer's six-yard effort on to the bar.

We all thought Guthrie had extended the lead when he fired into the side-netting; had it not been for another superb save from Leeds keeper David Harvey, Halom would surely have done so late in the game.

The sun eventually broke through the leaden skies as if in salute of a Boys' Own tale of derring-do.

And for this boy, it's a story that can be told again and again.

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